Vehicle tracker cooperating with a starter interrupt and related methods

ABSTRACT

A vehicle tracking unit is preferably for a vehicle of a type including an engine starter interrupt device. The vehicle tracking unit preferably includes a vehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device, and a controller. The controller may switch between an armed mode and a disarmed mode based upon operation of the engine starter interrupt device. The controller when in the armed mode may cooperate with the wireless communications device to send an alert message to the monitoring station and including vehicle position information, for example. The controller is also for selectively operating the engine starter interrupt device. The controller may include a combination input and output terminal for connection to the engine starter interrupt device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present application is based upon copending provisionalapplication serial Nos. 60/264,811 filed on Jan. 29, 2001; 60/258,005,filed Dec. 22, 2000; 60/251,552, filed Dec. 6, 2000; 60/252,125, filedNov. 20, 2000; 60/236,890, filed Sep. 29, 2000; 60/246,463, filed Nov.7, 2000; 60/222,777, filed Aug. 3, 2000; and 60/205,178, filed May 17,2000, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to the field of vehicle devices,and, more particularly, to a tracking and alerting system for a vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Motor vehicles, such as passenger cars, trucks, busses, fleetvehicles, etc. are widely used and knowing the locations of such vehicleis often desired. For example, should a vehicle be stolen, it would bebeneficial to know the vehicle's location so that authorities could bepromptly and accurately directed to retrieve the vehicle. Indeed, thetracking system could plot the getaway path of the thief.

[0004] For a company with hired drivers, it may desirable to know thedriver's whereabouts during the course of the day. Similarly, a rentalcar agency or other fleet operator, for example, may wish to know thewhereabouts of its fleet of vehicles.

[0005] It may also be desirable to track the location of a vehicle as itused throughout the course of a normal day. For parents of younger orolder drivers, for example, knowledge of the vehicle's location mayprovide some assurance that the driver is at designated locations andfollowing a prescribed route.

[0006] A number of patents disclose various systems and approaches totracking vehicles. For example, U,S. Pat. No. 5,223,844 discloses atracking system including a control center and a mobile unit installedin the vehicle. The mobile unit may send security warnings to thecommand center via a wireless transceiver. Position information for thevehicle is determined using a GPS receiver at the vehicle.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,515,043 discloses a similar system which may sendone or more preprogrammed telephone messages to a user when away fromthe vehicle. The user may remotely access location information or causecertain commands to be carried out by entering a personal identificationnumber (PIN).

[0008] The widespread availability and use of the Internet has prompteda number of vehicle tracking systems to also make use of the Internet.For example, TelEvoke, Inc. proposed such a system in combination withClifford Electronics. The system was to provide notification, controland tracking services via the telephone or the Internet. Users could benotified via phone, e-mail, or pager of events such as a car alarm beingtriggered. Users could control the vehicle remote devices via phone,web, or PDA such as unlocking car doors. Additionally, users could trackTelEvoke-enabled vehicles on the Internet or via the telephone. AnInternet map could be viewed by the user showing the actual and priorvehicle locations. TelEvoke offered its services via a centralized fullyautomated Network Operations Center. To reduce the communications costs,it was proposed to use the control channel of the cellular telephonenetwork.

[0009] There are, of course, a number of vehicles which come from themanufacturer with some form of security system already installed. Inaddition, a number of vehicles are also equipped with aftermarketsecurity systems. Many conventional vehicle tracking u-units may not bereadily installed in vehicles, particularly those vehicles alreadyincluding a vehicle security system. In addition, complexity ofinstallation may significantly increase the system costs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object ofthe present invention to provide a vehicle tracking system andassociated methods which permit readily installation in a vehicle andwhich provides useful vehicle control functions.

[0011] This and other objects, features and advantages in accordancewith the present invention are provided by a vehicle tracking systemcomprising a monitoring station and a vehicle tracking unit forcommunicating with the monitoring station. The vehicle tracking unit ispreferably for a vehicle of a type comprising an engine starterinterrupt device. The vehicle tracking unit preferably includes avehicle position determining device, a wireless communications device,and a controller. More particularly, the controller may switch betweenan armed mode and a disarmed mode based upon operation of the enginestarter interrupt device. The controller when in the armed mode maycooperate with the wireless communications device to send an alertmessage to the monitoring station and including vehicle positioninformation, for example. The controller is also for selectivelyoperating the engine starter interrupt device,

[0012] In one advantageous embodiment, the controller preferablycomprises a combination input and output terminal for connection to theengine starter interrupt device. The controller may switch to the armedmode when in the disarmed mode and based upon the engine starterinterrupt device being operated to disable engine starting. Conversely,the controller may switch to the disarmed mode based upon the enginestarter interrupt device being operated to enable engine starting. Inother words, the tracking device can piggyback its arming and disarmingoff an existing vehicle security system, for example.

[0013] The controller may also selectively operate the engine starterinterrupt device based upon a command message from the monitoringstation. For example, the controller may selectively operate the enginestarter interrupt device based upon a command message from themonitoring station. Alternately, or in addition thereto, the vehicle mayfurther comprise an ignition switch, and the controller may selectivelyoperate the engine starter interrupt device based upon the ignitionswitch.

[0014] The vehicle position determining device may comprise a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) device, for example. In addition, the wirelesscommunications device may comprise a cellular telephone communicationsdevice, such as operating over the control channel. The monitoringstation may comprise a user interface, such as an Internet interface,and/or a telephone network interface.

[0015] A method aspect of the invention is for operating a vehicletracking unit in a vehicle of a type comprising an engine starterinterrupt device. The vehicle tracking unit may include a vehicleposition determining device, a wireless communications device, and acontroller connected to the engine starter interrupt device. The methodpreferably comprises switching the controller between an armed mode anda disarmed mode based upon operation of the engine starter interruptdevice. The controller when in the armed mode may be for cooperatingwith the wireless communications device to send an alert message to amonitoring station, such as in response to a vehicle security sensor,for example. The method also preferably includes using the controller toalso selectively operate the engine starter interrupt device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagrams of a vehicle tracking systemin accordance with the present invention.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a more detailed block diagram of the vehicle trackingunit as shown in FIG. 1.

[0018]FIG. 3 is more detailed block diagram of the monitoring station asshown in FIG. 1.

[0019]FIG. 4 is a flowchart for operation of the vehicle tracking systemas shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a vehicle stolen alert,

[0020]FIG. 5 is a flowchart for operation of the vehicle tracking systemas shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a vehicle alarm sounding alert,

[0021]FIG. 6 is a flowchart for operation of the vehicle tracking systemas shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a vehicle speeding alert.

[0022]FIG. 7 is a flowchart for operation of the vehicle tracking systemas shown in FIG. 1 illustrating an unauthorized transmitter learnedalert.

[0023]FIG. 8 is a flowchart for operation of the vehicle tracking systemas shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a low battery alert.

[0024]FIG. 9 is a flowchart for operation of the vehicle tracking systemas shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a GPS or cellular unit failure alert.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] The present invention will now be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichpreferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may,however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construedas limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. Rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the vehicle tracking system 20 inaccordance with the invention is now initially described. The vehiclesystem 20 illustratively includes a vehicle tracking unit 25 to bemounted in the vehicle 21 and a monitoring station 30 which is remotefrom the vehicle and which is typically in a fixed location. In theillustrated embodiment, the vehicle tracking unit 25 interfaces withvarious vehicle devices, such as may include security sensors, doorlocks, etc. as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0027] The vehicle tracking unit 25 is also illustratively connected toa separate vehicle security system 27 as may already be installed in thevehicle 21, from the factory or installed as an aftermarket productThose of skill in the art will appreciate that in some embodiments ofthe vehicle tracking system 20 a separate vehicle security system 27 maynot be needed, and/or various features thereof can be readilyincorporated in the vehicle tracking unit 25.

[0028] The monitoring station 30 may typically service a number ofsubscribers 31. As shown perhaps best in FIG. 3, the monitoring station30 may include a user interface, such as the schematically illustratedtelephone network interface 33 and the internet interface 34 which areschematically coupled to a telephone 35, and a computer 36,respectively. Of course in other embodiments, other interfaces may beused and only one of the illustrated interfaces may be needed. Those ofskill in the art will also recognize that messages may be sent to asubscriber or user via preprogrammed voice messages, e-mail messages,facsimile messages, pager alerts, etc. In addition commands orinstructions from the subscriber can also be input to the monitoringstation 30 via the telephone network interface 33 and/or the internetinterface 34, from the subscribers telephone 35 or computer 36.

[0029] The monitoring station 30 is illustrated connected to a cellulartelephone tower 32 which, in turn, may communicate with the vehicletracking unit 25 in some embodiments. Of course, in other embodimentsother communications approaches are also contemplated, such as, forexample, including satellite communications.

[0030] The monitoring station 30 may typically include the necessarymodems, and other communications electronics, and computers for itsfunctions which are described in greater detail below. The configurationof such components and their details will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art. Accordingly, no further discussion of these detailsis needed.

[0031] Referring now more specifically to FIG. 2, additional details ofthe vehicle tracking unit 25 and devices at the vehicle are now furtherdescribed. The vehicle tracking unit 25 illustratively includes acontroller 40, a vehicle position determining device 42, and a wirelesscommunications device 44 connected together. The vehicle positiondetermining device 42 may be provided by a GPS receiver, for example.The GPS receiver typically operates by receiving multiple signals fromspaced apart satellites 38 as will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art.

[0032] In other embodiments, the vehicle position determining device 42may be provided based upon communications with the cellular telephonenetwork, or based upon other satellite transmissions, for example. As aparticular example, time of arrival techniques are available based uponmultiple reception paths to determine position via the cellulartelephone network as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art.The vehicle position determining device 42 also illustratively includesan indicator 43 associated therewith, such as for indicating anoperating mode, or proper operation of the device as will be addressedin greater detail below.

[0033] The wireless communications device 44 may be provided by acellular telephone transceiver configured to operate on a controlchannel of the cellular network. Such a control channel may providenearly universal coverage for the tracking system 20 as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art. In addition, the controlchannel may offer relatively inexpensive communications between themonitoring station 30 and the vehicle tracking unit 25 as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art. The wireless communicationsdevice 44 also illustratively includes an optional status indicator 45with a similar function as the indicator 43 for the vehicle positiondetermining device.

[0034] The wireless communications device 44 in other embodiments, maytransmit in the voiceband of the cellular network Alternately, thewireless communications device may communicate over other networks, suchas over satellite, or via wireless internet services, as will beappreciated by those skilled in the art.

[0035] The controller 40 illustratively includes a central processingunit (CPU) 50 or other logic circuitry which is connected to a clocksignal generator 51 and a memory 52. In other embodiments, the memory 52may be embedded memory in the CPU 50. The controller 40 also includesschematically illustrated input/output circuitry 53 to interface withvarious vehicle devices. In particular the input/output circuitry 53 mayprovide dual polarity compatibility for one or more inputs or outputs aswill described in greater detail below. One or more of the terminals ofthe input/output circuitry 53 may also provide both input and outputfunctions as will also be described in greater detail below. This maysignificantly simplify and accelerate installation of the vehicletracking unit 25 in the vehicle 21.

[0036] Also illustratively shown as part of the vehicle tracking unit 25are a back-up battery 54, and switch 55 connected thereto forselectively powering certain of the components based upon the controller40. Of course, the vehicle 21 also includes an electrical systemincluding the vehicle battery 61. Powering of the vehicle tracking unit25 is described in greater detail below.

[0037] The vehicle 21 also includes a number of other components thatmay relate to vehicle tracking, security, and/or convenience featuresprovided by the vehicle tracking system 20. For example, the vehicle 21may include one or more door lock actuators 62, an optional remotestarting device 63, a starter interrupt device 66 and an alarm indicator67. For example, the alarm indicator may be provided by a vehicle hornor vehicle siren, and/or flashing of the lights.

[0038] The optional separate security system 27 illustratively includesa vehicle security controller 28 and a receiver 29 connected thereto. Asis conventional, the vehicle security system 27 may be switched betweenarmed and disarmed modes, for example, by one or more uniquely codedremote transmitters 60. The vehicle security controller 28 may also becapable of learning a new uniquely coded remote transmitter 60 as willbe appreciated by those skilled in the art. The vehicle securitycontroller 28 also illustratively is connected to the starter interruptdevice 66 and the alarm indicator 67.

[0039] For ease of explanation, a number of the features of the vehicletracking system 20 are now described. The vehicle tracking system 20includes a number of features that may simplify installation andmaintenance. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the vehicle tracking unit25 may have a test switch 71 connected to the controller 40.

[0040] In normal operation, the controller 40 may be called upon tooperate at least one vehicle device. Of course, the controller 40 alsocooperates with the wireless communications device 44 and the vehicleposition determining device 42 to determine and send vehicle positioninformation to the monitoring station 30. Moreover, the controller 40may be switchable to a test mode for test operation of the at least onevehicle device responsive to activation of the test switch 71.

[0041] In some embodiments, the at least one vehicle device may be aplurality of vehicle devices that are tested by operation in sequence.For example, the at least one vehicle device may comprise at least onedoor lock actuator 62. The at least one vehicle device may also comprisethe starter interrupt device 66, or the engine remote starter 63 ifremote starting is an implemented feature. The at least one vehicledevice which is tested, may also be the alarm indicator 67. Accordingly,an installer, for example, can quickly check that the tracking unit hasbeen properly installed.

[0042] To further provide for ready determination of proper operation ofthe vehicle tracking unit 25, one or both of the position determiningand wireless communications devices 42, 44 may include associatedindicators 43, 45 as mentioned briefly above, and which provide anindication relating to proper operation. Each indicator 43, 45 mayindicate a mode of operation of the device, its proper operation, or apartial or complete failure of the device.

[0043] Another aspect of the invention is that the controller 40 mayprovide a selectable polarity for the at least one vehicle device basedupon sensing thereof Accordingly, a predetermined activation of the testswitch 71 may cause the controller 40 to sense and select the properpolarity. Pressing the test switch 71 for a predetermined time or in apredetermined pattern may sense and set the polarity.

[0044] Another feature of the vehicle tracking unit 25 and vehicletracking system 20 relates to conservation of the number of codes ormessages that need to sent to the vehicle tracking unit. In particular,the controller 40 may have a plurality of different controller statesand respond differently to a same message from the monitoring station 30at different times depending upon the controller state at a given time.Accordingly, a number of codes or messages used by the system can beconserved. Various messages are described in greater detail below.

[0045] A controller state may change based upon several differentoccurrences or events. For example the controller may change states inresponse to a change in at least one vehicle device, or based upon amessage received by the wireless communications device 44 from themonitoring station 30, and/or based upon elapsed time. The controllerstates, for example, may include an alert sent state based upon an alertmessage being sent from the wireless communications device 44.Thereafter, receipt of a predetermined message by the wirelesscommunications device 44 when the controller 40 is in the alert sentstate may confirm receipt of the alert message by the monitoringstation.

[0046] Receipt of the predetermined message by the wirelesscommunications device 44 when the controller 40 is in another statedifferent than the alert sent state may thus cause a different responseby the controller. The alert sent state may comprise at least one of anvehicle stolen alert sent state, a vehicle alarm sounding alert sentstate, a vehicle speeding alert sent state, an unauthorized remotetransmitter alert sent state, a low vehicle battery alert sent state,and a device malfunction alert sent state. The various alert messagesand confirmation thereof are described in greater detail below.

[0047] The code or message conservation aspects of the vehicle trackingsystem 20 also permit sending a sequence of codes or messages within apredetermined time to also cause a different response at the vehicletracking unit 25. In other words, the plurality of controller states maycomprise a received first message state based upon a first message beingreceived by the wireless communications device 44 from the monitoringstation 30. Receipt of a second message by the wireless communicationsdevice 44 when the controller 40 is in the received first message state,such as within a predetermined time window, for example, may thus causea different response by the controller than does receipt of the secondmessage when the controller is in another state than the received firstmessage state.

[0048] The plurality of controller states may comprise a vehicle finderstate sounding an audible signal via the alarm indicator 67 at thevehicle 21. In this state the controller 40 would bypass sending avehicle alarm sounding alert to the monitoring station 30.

[0049] Another aspect of the vehicle tracking system 20 is the provisionof certain power conservation and management techniques, such as topermit extended periods where the vehicle 21 is not operation. Duringsuch extended periods, the vehicle battery 61 provides power to thevehicle tracking unit 25 as well as other vehicle devices. Accordingly,the voltage of the vehicle battery 61 drops over time. The vehicletracking unit 25 may provide a significant drain on the vehicle battery61 because of the power consumed by the wireless communications device44 during transmission as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart.

[0050] The vehicle position determining device 42, the wirelesscommunications device 44 and the controller 40 may be considered asdefining a power load of the vehicle tracking unit 25. The controller 40may operate the schematically illustrated power switch 55 to isolate theback-up battery 54 from the power load as a voltage of the vehiclebattery 61 drops until reaching a threshold. After or below thethreshold the controller 40 may cause the back-up battery 54 toselectively power only a first portion of the power load while a secondportion of the power load remains powered by the vehicle battery.

[0051] For example, the wireless communications device 44 may have ahigher operating voltage than the vehicle position determining device42. The first portion of the power load that is selectively powereddespite the low vehicle battery voltage may thus be the wirelesscommunications device 44. In particular, the wireless communicationsdevice 44 may be powered for transmission. Accordingly, the back-upbattery 54 can be saved for limited communication using the highervoltage wireless communications device 44. This provides useful featureseven after an extended period during which the vehicle 21 is leftunattended and the vehicle battery 61 gradually discharges.

[0052] To further conserve power, the controller 40 may reduce operationof the power load as vehicle battery voltage falls, Conversely, thecontroller 40 may restore operation of the power load based upon thevoltage of the vehicle battery 61 rising again, such as upon beingrecharged.

[0053] Also relating to power consumption, the controller 40 furthercause transmission of a low vehicle battery voltage alert to themonitoring station 30 based upon the voltage of the vehicle battery 61falling bellow the threshold. The user or subscriber may cause themonitoring station 30 to issue a remote start command. The controller 40may then generate a remote start output to the remote start device 63 tothereby start the engine and recharge the vehicle battery.

[0054] Another feature of the vehicle tracking system 20 is that thevehicle tracking unit 25 may be readily installed and connected to avehicle 21, such as in the illustrated embodiment where the vehicleincludes a starter interrupt device 66 and a separate vehicle securitycontroller 28. More particularly, the controller 40 may switch betweenan armed mode and a disarmed mode based upon operation of the enginestarter interrupt device 66 The controller 40 when in the armed mode maycooperate with the wireless communications device 44 to send an alertmessage to the monitoring station 30 and including vehicle positioninformation, for example, based upon the vehicle position determiningdevice 42. The controller 40 is also for selectively operating theengine starter interrupt device 66 to provide additional securityfeatures.

[0055] In one advantageous embodiment, the controller 40 preferablycomprises a combination input and output terminal for connection to theengine starter interrupt device This terminal is at the input/outputcircuitry 53 and is schematically illustrated by reference numeral 72.The controller 40 may switch to the armed mode when in the disarmed modeand based upon the engine starter interrupt device 66 being operated todisable engine starting. Conversely, the controller 40 may switch to thedisarmed mode based upon the engine starter interrupt device 66 beingoperated to enable engine starting. In other words, the vehicle trackingunit 25 can piggyback its arming and disarming off the existing vehiclesecurity system 27, for example.

[0056] The controller 40 may also selectively operate the engine starterinterrupt device 66 based upon a command message from the monitoringstation 30. The controller 40 may selectively operate the engine starterinterrupt device 66 based upon a command message from the monitoringstation 30. Alternately, or in addition thereto, the controller 40 mayselectively operate the engine starter interrupt device 66 based uponthe ignition switch 65.

[0057] The following descriptive portions relate to various user orsubscriber notifications and features provided by the vehicle trackingsystem 20. Of course, the controller 40 preferably cooperates with thewireless communications device 44 to send an alert message. Themonitoring station 30 may comprise a user interface, such as one or bothof the telephone network or internet interfaces 33, 34, respectively(FIG. 3), for generating a sequence of alert message notifications basedupon receiving the alert message sent from the vehicle tracking unit 25.More particularly, the monitoring station interface permits cancelingany remaining alert message notification based upon a cancellationcommand response from a user or subscriber having already received thealert message notification. The user may send the cancellation responsevia the telephone 35 or computer 36 (FIG. 3), for example. Thus, if theuser may be reached at different telephone numbers or different usersare desirably notified of the alert, this aspect of the vehicle trackingsystem 20 can make the notifications efficiently and without makingunnecessary notifications.

[0058] The vehicle tracking system 20 may provide any of a number ofvery useful alerts, as discussed herein. For example, the alert messagesent from the vehicle tracking unit may comprise at least one of anvehicle stolen alert message, and a vehicle alarm sounding alertmessage. The alert message may be one a vehicle speeding alert message,and a vehicle acceleration alert message. In addition, the alert messagemay comprise an unauthorized remote transmitter alert message. Also, thealert message may be at least one of a low vehicle battery alertmessage, and a device malfunction alert message.

[0059] The speeding alert may be based upon exceeding a speed thresholdfor greater than a certain time, which may be user selectable. Theacceleration alert may also be useful as such is also indicative ofaggressive driving along with the speeding alert. The unauthorizedremote transmitter alert increases overall security since a user will benotified if a would-be thief learns an unauthorized transmitter tooperate the controller. These alerts are described in greater detailbelow.

[0060] The vehicle tracking system 20 may be implemented as a service toa subscriber. In other words, the subscriber pays a monthly fee for theservice. Accordingly, it may be important to encourage a user toregister. Similar subscriber or registrations systems in the past havesuffered revenue losses since some users would wait to activate thesystem until the vehicle was stolen, In other words, the user would onlysubscriber or register and pay a single month's fee.

[0061] In accordance with this aspect of the vehicle tracking system 20prompt user registration is encouraged. In particular, the vehicletracking unit 25 may include the user registration reminder indicator 56and the controller 40 may be switchable from an unregistered mode to aregistered mode. In the registered mode, the controller 40 may cooperatewith the wireless communications device 44 and the vehicle positiondetermining device 42 to determine and send vehicle position informationto the monitoring station 30. In the unregistered mode, the controller40 may activate the user registration reminder indicator 56 to encourageregistration by the user.

[0062] The controller 40 may be switchable to the registered mode basedupon an activation message from the monitoring station 30. For example,when the registration payment has been received, the monitoring stationcan send one or more messages to the vehicle tracking unit 25 to stopactivation of the registration reminder indicator 56. The indicator 56may be audible, visual or both. For example, the registration reminderindicator 56 could be a beeping sound generated by a small piezoelectrictransducer every ten minutes or so when the ignition 65 is on.

[0063] In other words, the user registration reminder indicator 56 mayprovide a minor but irritating annoyance to the user to encourageregistration. Upon successfully registering, the annoyance is abated.Accordingly, a relatively straightforward approach is provided toencourage user registration.

[0064] Along these lines, the controller 40 when in the unregisteredmode may have reduced features compared to the registered mode. Forexample, the controller 40 when in the unregistered mode may berestricted or limited in sending messages with the wirelesscommunications device 44. Accordingly, usage of the wirelesscommunications network may be reduced. Transmissions from the vehicletracking unit 25 may be also be beneficially suppressed during originalinstallation, for example.

[0065] Returning again to features of the vehicle tracking unit 25 whichfacilitate installation, the controller 40 may send an alarm indicationalert responsive to a continuous activation of the alarm indicator 67for greater than a predetermined time. Alternately, or in additionthereto, the controller 40 may send an alarm indication alert responsiveto a repetitive pattern of alarm indicator 67 activations. In otherwords, the controller may be configured to distinguish between normaloperation of a vehicle horn by the driver, and activation of the horn bythe security system 27. As mentioned above, the controller 40 may alsomonitor signals of at least one of a first and second polarity. Thecontroller 40 thus advantageously piggybacks off the alarm indicationgenerated by the vehicle security system 27 to determine and send avehicle alarm sounding alert to the monitoring station 30.

[0066] In one variation, the controller 40 may monitor signals delivereddirectly to the vehicle alarm indicator by the vehicle securitycontroller 28. In another variation, the controller 40 monitors signalsof voltage dips of the vehicle battery 61. Circuitry is conventionallyand readily available for both such functions as be readily appreciatedby those skilled in the art.

[0067] The controller 40 may also include a dual polarity compatibleoutput in the input/output circuitry 53 for a vehicle device, such asthe vehicle alarm indicator 67. The controller 40 may further monitorsignals relating to activation of the vehicle alarm indicator 67 andsend an alarm indication alert with position information from thevehicle position determining device and using the wireless communicationdevice.

[0068] For the dual polarity output compatibility, the controller 40 maygenerate a first polarity output pulse followed by a second polarityoutput pulse. The controller 40 may also generate a repeating pattern ofa first polarity output pulse followed by a second polarity output pulseon the dual polarity compatible output. In yet other embodiments, thecontroller 40 may sense an actual polarity of the device and thereafteruse the actual polarity for the dual polarity compatible output.

[0069] Where the vehicle device is a vehicle horn, the controller 40 maytypically be configured to generate a negative polarity output on thedual polarity compatible output. Conversely, wherein the vehicle deviceis a vehicle alarm indicator siren, the controller 40 may be configuredto generate a positive polarity output on the dual polarity compatibleoutput.

[0070] Another aspect of the vehicle tracking system 20 relates toconserving memory space and/or reducing transmission time over thecommunications network. In accordance with this advantageous feature,the controller 40 may determine the vehicle position informationincluding a vehicle location and an associated stationary period foreach occurrence of the vehicle remaining stationary for greater than apredetermined period. In one embodiment, the controller 40 may cooperatewith the wireless transmission device 44 to send the vehicle positioninformation to the monitoring station based upon each occurrence of thevehicle remaining stationary for greater than the predetermined period.In this embodiment, the monitoring station 30 may associate a time witheach occurrence of the vehicle remaining stationary for greater than thepredetermined period. In other words, the monitoring station 30 may timestamp the received information.

[0071] In another embodiment, the controller 40 cooperates with thewireless transmission device 44 to send the vehicle position informationto the monitoring station 30 for a plurality of occurrences of thevehicle remaining stationary for greater than the predetermined period.In this embodiment, the controller 40 may associate a time with eachoccurrence of the vehicle remaining stationary for greater than thepredetermined period. In other words, the controller time stamps theposition and stationary period information.

[0072] As an example, the predetermined time which determines whetherthe vehicle 21 is stationary and the position should be determined, maybe less than about three minutes. This time may filter out vehicle stopsin normal traffic, but which will keep track of stops where the driverlikely leaves the vehicle 21. Accordingly, only the importantinformation necessary to track the vehicle need be stored and/ortransmitted thereby reducing the system costs. If the vehicle 21 isstationary overnight, for example, unnecessary position information neednot be determined, stored, and/or transmitted to the monitoring station30.

[0073] The controller 40 may comprise the memory 52 for storing thevehicle position information therein. In one configuration, thecontroller 40 downloads the vehicle position information from the memory52 to the monitoring station 30 based upon a predetermined schedule. Inanother configuration, the controller 40 downloads the vehicle positioninformation from the memory 52 to the monitoring station 30 based upon apredetermined event. In yet another configuration, the controller 40downloads the vehicle position information from the memory 52 to themonitoring station 30 based upon a predetermined percentage of memoryusage.

[0074] Having now described certain general features and advantages ofthe vehicle tracking system 20, this description now turns to additionalspecific details which are provided as examples. In particular, vehicletracking system 20 preferably implements one or more of the followingfeatures;

[0075] 1. Detects the vehicle being stolen and transmits a signal to themonitoring station to contact up to 3 people, for example, predeterminedby the user, of theft of the vehicle and then starts tracking thevehicle. The contact may be by one or more of the following: an e-mailmessage, a pager alert, a cellular telephone call, or other telephonecall.

[0076] 2. Detects an optional vehicle security or alarm systemactivation and transmits a signal to the monitoring station to contactup to 3 predetermined people to inform them the vehicle's alarm is beingactivated.

[0077] 3. Detects an optional vehicle alarm system's remote PANICactivation and transmits a signal to the monitoring station to contactup to 3 predetermined people to inform them of the vehicle's PANIC beingactivated.

[0078] 4. Detects a vehicle being programmed to operate from anunauthorized remote transmitter, key transponder, other transponder, orother device that has a unique coding, and the vehicle unit transmits asignal to the monitoring station to contact up to 3 predetermined peopleto inform them of this occurrence The system can also make availableinformation relating to a number of such coded devices, or a changetherein, or when a change occurred. A message can be sent to the user orthe information can be available to the user on the WEB site. Thevehicle would be equipped with a security system as disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 5,654,688, for example, which determines an unauthorizedtransmitter and provides an alert feature. This patent is incorporatedherein in its entirety by reference.

[0079] 5. Detects the vehicle traveling over a predetermined speed, suchas for a predetermined time, and transmits a signal to the monitoringstation to send a message, such as an e-mail informing the user (and/orothers) of this occurrence. Of course, the message could also be sentvia a telephone call or page, should additional urgency be required. Thevehicle's predetermined maximum speed limit and duration thereof can beselected by the user.

[0080] 6. Detects a low battery voltage such as for a predetermined timeand transmits a signal to the monitoring station to contact up to 3predetermined people to inform them of vehicle's low battery voltage.This is especially advantageous during winter so that the vehicle couldbe started, for example, to prevent a problem before it happens). Thetime setting is preferably selectable by the user.

[0081] 7. Detects the vehicle not moving for a predetermined time andtransmits a signal to the monitoring station to send, for example, anightly e-mail informing the user of all the vehicle's location andstationary time occurrences. The stationary time length is alsoselectable. This may be advantageous to encourage patrolling personnelnot to remain for a long time in a same location.

[0082] 8. The vehicle unit preferably includes a back-up battery systemmaking it more reliable.

[0083] The vehicle unit may be relatively inexpensive. In addition, themonitoring fee that includes sending up to 60 e-mails and making up to 6phone calls per month, may also be relatively low. The relatively lowmonitoring fee is based, at least in part, on the current relatively lowrates charged for use of the control channel of the cellular telephonenetwork. It is also noted that access to the control channel providescoverage for almost the entire U.S., for example.

[0084] The user or subscriber also preferably has access to an Internetsite that will display a map and silently contact the vehicle to acquireit's current location, speed, direction of travel, and previous multiplelocations with speeds, for example, the user's personal identificationnumber (PIN) can be quickly activated by a telephone call. No additionalinstallation may be required.

[0085] Certain annual pre-pay package arrangements may be available. Forexample, up to 10 access entries per month can be provided on a lowmonthly billing. Up to 30 access entries could be provided also for arelatively low monthly fee.

[0086] The present invention provides a number of other significantadvantages including optional access from any phone or from any computerto access the monitoring station internet site. The user may controlvarious vehicle functions remotely via the telephone or the internetsite. The only charge may be for additional equipment and installation.

[0087] Additional features can also be included with the system andsubscribed to by the user in accordance with the invention. For example,these include Hijack, Car Finding, Unlock Doors and UnauthorizedTransmitter Alert Features. The equipment and installation is relativelyinexpensive. For the hijack feature: from any phone or computer, theuser may activate vehicle starter interrupt and sound the horn until thevehicle is retrieved (Command 4).

[0088] For the Car Finding feature: from any phone or computer, the usermay activate the vehicle's horn, or siren and sound same for 30 seconds.This allows the user to find his vehicle in a crowded parking lot(Command 5).

[0089] For the Lock/Unlock vehicle doors feature: from any phone orcomputer user a predetermined command (Command 7) activates unlocking ofvehicle doors to retrieve keys, for example, that may have beenaccidentally locked inside the vehicle. Of course, the system can alsobe used to lock vehicle doors if this was forgotten (Command 6). Theunauthorized transmitter alert feature is similarly selected asdescribed above.

[0090] In addition, a remote vehicle start feature may also be provided,such as to start the vehicle's engine to heat or cool the vehicle priorto entry. The equipment and installation for remote starting may berelatively low. Some further details of a specific embodiment of thevehicle tracking unit 25 are provided below as relating to use of redand green LED indicators as may be coupled to the controller 40 andoperated thereby. Also various representative wires, designated bycolor, are provided as an example embodiment.

[0091] The red LED verifies the GPS receiving signal. With a yellow wirehaving positive 12 volts, the red LED blinking indicates searching GPSlocation, constant indicates found location, and off indicates no GPSsignal found. With the yellow wire not having positive 12 volts, if thered LED is off, the LED is not functioning.

[0092] The green LED verifies receiving the cell tower signal With theyellow wire having positive 12 volts, blinking indicates the cellcontrol channel signal is detected, constant indicates sending a microburst signal (LED stays on 5-seconds after each transmission, and offindicates no cell tower signal received. With yellow wire not havingpositive 12 volts, off indicates the green LED is not functioning.

[0093] An example of representative DIP switch feature selection is asfollows. A first switch may be used for the adding orange wire forcontrolling arm/disarming of system When on, the orange wire controlsarm/disarm as follows: to arm, the orange wire is grounded and yellowwire does not have 12 volts positive. To disarm, the orange wire is notgrounded. When the first switch is off, then only the yellow wirecontrols arm /disarm as follows: to arm, the yellow wire is without 12volts positive, and 30 seconds after continued arm mode then orange wireactivates a constant 500 ma grounded output to operate an externalstarter interrupt relay until the system is disarmed. To disarm, theyellow wire is connected to 12 volts positive.

[0094] A main 5-pin plug may be provided on the vehicle unit andconnected as follows:

[0095] 1. The Red Wire is connected to the 12 vdc power. An alertwarning “E” is given if the system is armed and the battery voltagebecomes lower than 11-volts for longer than ## minutes. This alertfeature “E” will not operate again until the voltage is above 12 voltsto re-set this feature.

[0096] 2. The black wire is connected to ground.

[0097] 3. The yellow wire is connected to the ignition 12 volts so thatif the key is on, 12 volts is supplied thereto and if the key is off,the yellow wire is connected to ground. Further: if the system is in anarmed mode and the Lat/Long changes, then Alert “A” is given. If thesystem is disarmed and within 2.5 seconds after the yellow wire receives12 volts and the gray wire detects 3 or more positive pulses the systemactivates Alert “D” If the first DIP switch is in the off position then:if 12 volts is on yellow wire, the system is disarmed and the orangewire discontinues from the 500 ma ground, and if the yellow wire seesground or neutral, then the system is armed and 30 seconds after thecontinued arm mode the orange wire activates a constant 500 ma groundedoutput to operate an external starter interrupt relay until system isdisarmed

[0098] 4. The gray wire is for input and output, and can be connected toan alarm siren or horn positive terminal. In addition:

[0099] a. With system armed and if the gray wire detects +12 v pulsingon/off or on constant for more than 10 seconds from an alarm siren orhorn honking activation, then alert warning “B” alarm activation isgiven.

[0100] b. With system disarmed and if the gray wire detects +12 vpulsing on/off or on constant for more than 10 seconds from an alarmsiren or horn honking activation, then alert warning “C” panicactivation is given.

[0101] c. With system disarmed and if the Gray wire detects 3 or more 12volt positive pulses within 2.5 seconds of yellow wire receiving 12 v+and the gray wire by-pass not being activated, then alert warning “D” isgiven.

[0102] d. The gray wire bypass operates as follows:

[0103] i. After alert warning “B” bypass all future alert “B” signalsuntil system is disarmed.

[0104] ii. After alert warning “C” bypass all future Alert “C” signalsuntil system is armed.

[0105] iii. After alert warning “D” bypass all future alert “D” signalsuntil no 12 volt pulses are detected on the gray wire within 3 secondsof the yellow wire having 12 volts.

[0106] e. With system armed or disarmed. The Output: Internal +12 v, 1amp transistor with pulses 1 second on and 1 seconds off to activatesiren or honk car horn or flashing light relay.

[0107] i. Non-stop activation from (Command “4”)

[0108] ii. 30-second activation from (Command “5”)

[0109] f. Turn off the above alert “A” from (Command “1”).

[0110] 5. The orange wire is for the starter interrupt and arm/disarmsystem, and operates as follows:

[0111] a. If first DIP switch is in the:

[0112] i. On position and: the orange wire has 12 volts or neutral, thesystem switches to the disarmed mode; the orange wire is grounded, thenthe system is switched to the armed mode; and the starter interruptoutput will not automatically operate. Can only be activated from“Command #4”

[0113] ii. Off position and the orange wire does not effect the armingor disarming of the system; 30 seconds after system arms the orange wirewill automatically activate constant 500 ma ground until the system isdisarmed. And from “command #4”. Connect to Starter interrupt relayoutput.

[0114] b. Command 4 activates Orange wire to have 500 ma. negative untilCommand 1 is received

[0115] c. After Alert warning “B” is activated the first time it isthereafter bypassed while the orange wire remains grounded. Alertwarning “B” is re-set to operate again 3 seconds after orange wirebecomes ungrounded.

[0116] The vehicle unit may also include a Door Lock Plug configured asfollows, for example. A green wire provides a 250 ma, negative 1 secondpulse for Lock Doors. (Command “6”). A red wire provides a constant 12 voutput from the red power wire. A blue wire provides a 250 ma., negative1 second pulse for Unlock Doors (Command “7”). A pink wire provides a250 ma., negative 1 second pulse for remote Car Starter (Command “2”)

[0117] An installation test button may also be provided to work asfollows. Pressing the button activates the orange wire for 10-seconds(starter interrupt), with these circuits in sequence. First, activatesgray wire for 1-second. (siren/horn). After the first stops, activatesgreen wire for 1 second to lock the doors. After the second stops,activate the blue wire for 1 second to unlock the doors. After the thirdstops, activate the pink wire for 1 second to activate optional item.

[0118] Representative warning alerts are as follows:

[0119] 1. Alert Warning “A” (FIG. 4): Automatic activation of “Command8” and the vehicle unit contacts monitoring station to instantly call 3phone numbers with the message “Your Vehicle is stolen please confirmthen call 911 to advise police of web site and your pin # so police canlocate the vehicle”. This is detected with the system armed and the GPSindicating movement, Bypasses all future alert warning “A” signals untilthe system is re-armed.

[0120] 2. Alert Warning “B” (FIG. 5): the vehicle unit contacts themonitoring station to instantly call 3 phone numbers with the followingmessage “Vehicle alarm activated please confirm”. This is with thesystem armed and detecting gray wire having 12 volts pulsing or onconstant for longer than 10-seconds). After alert warning “B” isactivated the first time, it is thereafter bypassed while the orangewire remains grounded. Alert warning “B” is re-set to operate again 3seconds after orange wire becomes ungrounded.

[0121] 3. Alert Warning “C” (FIG. 6): the vehicle unit contacts themonitoring station to instantly send e-mail message “vehicle wastraveling faster than your preset amount of “###” and time limit of “##”seconds. Indicates the vehicle speed and location that the speedingstarted and how long speeding accrued” (Detected from GPS).

[0122] 4. Alert Warning “D” (FIG. 7): the vehicle unit contacts themonitoring station to instantly call 3 phone numbers with the thismessage “Unauthorized remote transmitter was just programmed to operateyour vehicle.” This is with the system disarmed and the Gray wiredetecting three or more 12 volt pulses within 2.5 seconds of yellow wirehaving seen 12 volts positive. All future alert “D” are bypassed untilno 12 volt pulses are detected on the gray wire within 3 seconds of theyellow wire seeing 12 volts.

[0123] 5. Alert Warning “E” (FIG. 8): the vehicle unit contacts themonitoring station to instantly call 3 phone numbers with the message“Vehicle has low battery voltage and system has changed to low voltagemode”. This is with the system armed and detecting the Red wire withlower than 11 volts for ## minutes. All future alert “E” are bypasseduntil, first, more than 13.5 volts are detected on the red wire and,second, after the yellow wire stops having positive voltage the red wirethen must detect more than 12 volts.

[0124] The following are representative commands for use in the system:

[0125] Command 1: Reset all circuits and system remains asleep until theignition key is turned on. Resets the triggered mode and unit is asleepto prevent power drain on vehicle battery.

[0126] Command 2: (Accessory activation) monitoring station Command tothe system to activate Pink wire to pulse 250 ma negative for 1 second.

[0127] Command 3: (Vehicle Location) Web site to indicate presentlocation and past events in memory.

[0128] Command 4: (Hijack or Stolen) monitoring station Command tovehicle system to activate:

[0129] a. Gray wire to pulse 1 sec on/1 sec off with 1 amp positiveoutput and which continues until receive command #1.

[0130] b. Orange wire to have 500 ma ground and which continues untilreceive command #1.

[0131] Command 5: (Car Find) monitoring station Command to systemactivating Gray wire for 30 seconds pulsing 1 sec on/1 sec off with 1amp positive output.

[0132] Command 6: (Lock Doors) monitoring station Command to systemactivating Green wire to pulse 1 second with 250 ma. negative.

[0133] Command 7: (Unlock Doors) monitoring station Command to system toactivate Blue wire to pulse 1 second with 250 ma. negative,

[0134] Command 8: (Start Constant Vehicle Tracking) sends previous 2events in memory and then every 120 seconds get update of locationinformation sent to the Web site.

[0135] The system is also operable in a battery saver mode whichoperates as follows:

[0136] 1. With the ignition key off, if the battery voltage drops below11.5 volts for more than 5 seconds, the GPS verification wakes up tolook:

[0137] a. Once instantly.

[0138] b. Once in 1 hour if at the same location.

[0139] c. Once in 6 hours if at the same location.

[0140] d. Once in 12 hours if at the same location.

[0141] e. Once every 24 hours if at the same location.

[0142] f. Activate alert “E” when the battery saver mode is activated,and bypass sending all future Alert “E” until the battery voltage goesabove 13 volts for 10 minutes to reset this feature.

[0143] Another aspect of the invention relates to automatic vehiclealert e-mails sent containing some or all of the previous system events.This sending can be triggered as follows:

[0144] a) At a user selected predetermined time ## (01-24) of each day,or

[0145] b) At a predetermined memory fill level, such as full or nearfull.

[0146] In addition, each system event may contains one or more of thefollowing:

[0147] a) Vehicle Location

[0148] b) Vehicle total time at location

[0149] c) Time of day

[0150] d) Mph traveling

[0151] e) Total time traveling above MPH

[0152] f) Direction traveling

[0153] g) Delta

[0154] h) Special Alert messages, if any, including:

[0155] i) GPS signal not received for longer than 5 minutes

[0156] ii) Traveling above ###MPH for ## minutes.

[0157] iii) Vehicle is stolen.

[0158] iv) Alarm activated.

[0159] v) Unauthorized remote transmitter alert.

[0160] vi) Battery saver mode activated

[0161] vii) Command 1: Reset all circuits and system remains asleepuntil the ignition key is turned on.

[0162] viii) Command 2: (Accessory activation)

[0163] ix) Command 3: (Vehicle Location was retrieved)

[0164] x) Command 4: (Hijack or Stolen mode activated)

[0165] xi) Command 5: (Car Find mode activated)

[0166] xii) Command 6: (Locked Doors)

[0167] xiii) Command 7: (Unlocked Doors)

[0168] xiv) Command 8: (Started 2-second incremental Vehicle Tracking)

[0169] Another feature of the invention relates to the selectablethreshold conditions causing an event to be recorded into the memory ofthe vehicle unit. For example, this may include: while the yellow wirehas 12 volts, record events every “??” default 15 minutes time if theGPS location has changed. If the GPS location is same then only updatestationary total time. If the GPS antenna is not receiving any signalthen enter last known GPS location and with indication this was the lastknown GPS location before GPS signal stopped and how long no GPS signalwas received, and enter GPS location in the on-hold file. When vehicleis traveling above ###MPH for ##-minutes.

[0170] The monitoring station may also provide a number of automatedphone calls as described above. These may include:

[0171] 1. The user's vehicle has issued a stolen alert:

[0172] a. If vehicle is stolen, after receiving the phone message theuser then calls 911 to advise police of the theft, and gives the policethe Web site address and an identification number, such as the user'sPIN, to allows the police to locate where your vehicle has been, whereit is now and keep tracking it until the police can retrieve thevehicle.

[0173] b. If this is a false alert due to vehicle being towed away forservice, for example, then the user may press “1” to put the vehicle inan off mode. Once the ignition key is turned on again the system willreset back to its normal operation mode.

[0174] 2. The user's vehicle has issued an alarm activated for more than10 seconds alert. The system will not respond to this alert again untilignition key is turned on again to reset this feature.

[0175] 3. The vehicle battery voltage is low or has been disconnected.The tracking system is in low voltage mode. The system will not respondto this alert again until the battery voltage goes above 13 volts for 10minutes to reset this feature.

[0176] The backup battery may be sized according to the GPS receiver andprocessing power draw. In addition, the battery may also be sized basedupon estimated micro burst transmitting power draw. Such transmissionare typically at about 3 watts power to the antenna.

[0177] The system according to the invention including the vehicle unitand monitoring station provides a number of significant advantages andfeatures. For example, the police may be directly contacted by the userwhen the vehicle is stolen. The user receives the telephone message fromthe monitoring station, and this is done without requiring theintervention of a manual security monitoring operator, such as an ADToperator, for example. In addition, once in the stolen mode, the vehicleunit will periodically continue to send out its location, so that thepolice may track the vehicle via the WEB, for example This locationsending feature may begin immediately, that is, without requiring theuser to contact the vehicle to begin tracking. Having the vehiclecontacting the monitoring station is considerably less expensive thanother schemes where the vehicle is periodically polled via the cellularnetwork, for example.

[0178] The system may also be interfaced to a breath alcohol sensor atthe vehicle, for example, and this information recorded in memory. Theinformation could be passed along to the monitoring station, which, inturn, could send out a notification message (e-mail or telephone) thatthe vehicle is being operated by a driver who may be impaired byalcohol. The vehicle's location could then be tracked to permit thepolice to detain the driver. Another aspect of the unit is that it maybe able to recognize the desirability to bypass certain security breachtriggers or other events. For example, a car finding feature can beprovided that will allow the user to sound the horn or siren when nearthe vehicle to help locate the vehicle, as in a crowded parking area.Without the bypass feature, the unit could recognize the horn or sirenas a security breach and transmit such information to the monitoringcenter. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, the unit wouldrecognize the car finding feature was activated and thereby bypasssending a security breach transmission, for example. Again, false alarmsand unneeded usage and expense of the communications infrastructurewould be avoided.

[0179] Yet another aspect of the invention relates to thwarting awould-be thief who attempts to disable the alarm by cutting the batterycable or power supplied to the system. The unit preferably includes aback-up battery. More particularly, upon being in an armed mode andsensing a breach of security, such as the hood opening, for example, theunit will send out a signal indicating the alarm or security breach andwhile the alarm is indicated, if the battery is disconnected then theunit will send out a message indicating the vehicle is stolen, and alsoproviding the vehicle's current position. Accordingly, the would-bethief is not able to defeat the security system by quickly disruptingpower to the unit during an alarm indication or security breach. Also toprevent additional alerts, this message is prevented from beingtransmitting again until user returns to the vehicle to disarm thesystem and/or turn on the ignition so that the unit sees a voltage above13.volts indicating the vehicle has started using the owner's ignitionkey, This aspect is further understood with reference to the enclosedflowchart labeled “Alert A” (FIG. 4).

[0180] Still another aspect of the invention relates to how the unit candiscriminate between ordinary usage or honking of the horn as comparedto a security system triggered alarm. Most vehicle security systems willprovide a pattern of horn soundings as an alarm indication, and this canbe determined and used to reduce false alarm transmissions from theunit. For example, the unit can look at the number of leading andtrailing edges of the power pulse used to sound the horn. A singlepressing of the horn switch by the user will cause two edges within apredetermined time, such as about 10 to 12 seconds. Accordingly, theunit can be configured to not send a security breach transmission to thecontrol center based upon detecting two transitions. Since a number ofvehicle security systems may have a continuous sounding of the hornwithin the predetermined time, the unit can send the transmission upondetecting only a single transition.

[0181] A number of other vehicle security systems provide a series ofpulses or horn soundings within the predetermined time. Accordingly, theunit may also be configured to send a security breach transmission upondetecting greater than a predetermined number of transitions, such asgreater than nine, for example. This number is also typically higherthan a user would generate honking the horn several times within thepredetermined time. In other terms, the number of transitions of thehorn pulses can be counted, and if equal to one, or greater than nine,for example, the transmission is triggered, and otherwise the soundingof the horn is ignored. Also to prevent additional alerts, this messageis prevented from being transmitting again until user returns to thevehicle to disarm the system and/or turn on the ignition so that theunit sees a voltage above 13 volts indicating the vehicle has startedusing the owner's ignition key. This aspect is further understood withreference to the enclosed flowchart labeled “Alert B” (FIG. 5).

[0182] Yet another feature of the invention relates to a low vehiclebattery alert. For example, the unit may monitor the battery voltageover a predetermined time such as ten minutes. The ten minute windowprevents false tripping, for example, when the voltage dips duringengine cranking In particular, the voltage can be sensed and determinedwhether it is greater than zero (eg. greater than six volts)and lessthan a high value (eg. eleven or twelve volts), and, if so, a lowbattery voltage transmission can be communicated to the monitoringstation, and ultimately to the vehicle user when away from the vehicle.If vehicle is being serviced and battery is disconnected this will causethe battery voltage to be equal to zero, then the low battery voltagetransmission will not be communicated to the monitoring station. Also toprevent additional alerts, this message is prevented from beingtransmitting again until user returns to the vehicle to disarm thesystem and/or turn on the ignition so that the unit sees a voltage above13.volts indicating the vehicle has started using the owner's ignitionkey. Again false triggerings are reduced. This aspect is furtherunderstood with reference to the enclosed flowchart labeled “Alert E”.

[0183] Yet another advantageous feature of some embodiments of inventionrelates to the ability to conserve electrical power. More particularly,when the vehicle is stopped and in the armed mode, the GPS receiver maybe periodically operated to determine the vehicle position. If thevehicle position changes, this is indicative that the vehicle is beingmoved or stolen. For example, the GPS receiver may be operated togenerate new vehicle position information every 29 seconds, Theserelatively quick successive position determinations or readings aregenerally termed hot start. These are relatively less complicated that acold start position determination which takes longer, since the coldstart position determination requires greater time to acquire andreceive data from multiple satellites, as will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art.

[0184] Unfortunately, this relatively high repeated usage of the GPSreceiver may cause unnecessary battery drain, especially when thevehicle is left armed and unattended by the user for an extended period.Accordingly, the power conserving feature of the invention permits theGPS receiver to be turned off when the vehicle is in the armed mode, andthe GPS receiver is turned on only when needed. For example, a vehiclesensor, such as a shock sensor, motion sensor, ignition sensor, doorsensor, or other sensor, or combinations thereof could be used to startthe GPS receiver. This sensor could also be used to trigger an alarm ifdesired; however it need not be so used in all embodiments. The GPSreceiver, once turned on, could operate in the normal periodic fashionas described above, or for a fixed period of time. The GPS receivercould also be turned off again after some predetermined time if nofurther sensor signal is received, or if the position fails to change onsubsequent position readings or determinations.

[0185] Yet another feature relates to permitting more colorful audiblealert messages to be generated for the user. The user can, in someembodiments, access an internet site to type or enter the text for amessage to be sent, such as to alert the user that his vehicle is beingstolen. The audible message then communicated by a telephone call to theuser is generated by a speech message synthesizer based upon the enteredtext. In accordance with this aspect of the invention, the user couldtype in phonetically spelled words or phrases, such as to create morecolorful messages including slang terms, various accents, and/or tomimic various dialects, for example. The speech synthesizer would thengenerate the desired message customized for the user. Of course, thesystem could also permit the user to test or preview the pronunciationgenerated by the speech message synthesizer based on the entered textmessage prior to its adoption.

[0186] Another aspect relates to requesting GPS position informationfrom a vehicle. If a command is sent downstream to the vehiclerequesting that GPS information in turn be sent upstream from thevehicle, and the GPS information is not received within a predeterminedtime, such as about four minutes, then another command may be sent tothe vehicle requesting the GPS information. This may keep repeatinguntil GPS information is received, for a predetermined number of tries,or until a user instructs stopping of the requests. This helps to ensureand confirm the activation and reception of GPS tracking coordinatesfrom the vehicle.

[0187] Yet another aspect relates to reducing a frequency with which GPSinformation is sent from the vehicle. More particularly, the unit may beconfigured to activate GPS information transmission upstream every 2minutes. To reduce system usage expense and power consumption at thevehicle, this rate of transmission of GPS information could beprogressively decreased over time. For example, in one embodiment, uponactivation the GPS location signals could be sent every 2 minutes duringthe first hour, then once an hour for the next 23 hours, after whichonly one signal would be sent per day.

[0188] Still another aspect relates to warning the user of an inoperableor malfunctioning GPS or cellular telephone section. More particularly,if the GPS or cellular telephone antenna wire is cut or the mountingposition of either is changed causing the antenna to stop receiving thesignal the user would not ordinarily know of this problem quickly. Inaccordance with one embodiment, if the ignition is turned on apredetermined number of times, such as about three, and each timeignition turns on if no GPS or no cell signal is received for a minimumtime, such as about 15 to 30 minutes or longer, an audible warningbeeper may be activated in the vehicle. This beeper may be sounded onceever 15-minutes. At anytime if the GPS or cell signal is receivedproperly then the system re-sets automatically stopping the beepersound.

[0189] As an example, if the ignition key is turned on and no GPS or noCell signal is being received for 15-minutes, and the vehicle ignitionstays on for 45-minutes and there is still no GPS or no cell signal, theunit counts one. Thereafter, if the ignition key is turned on and no GPSor no cell signal is being received for 15-minutes, and the vehicleignition stays on for 60-minutes and there is still no GPS or no cellsignal, a second count is determined. Thereafter, if the ignition isturned on and no GPS or no cell signal is received for 10-minutes, andthe vehicle ignition stays on for only 10-minutes and there is still noGPS or no cell signal, no count is determined Thereafter, if theignition is turned on and no GPS or no cell signal is being received for15-minutes, a third count is determined and the beeper is activated asdescribed above. This beeping may continue every 15-minutes while thevehicle ignition stays on as long as the vehicle ignition stays on for16-minutes and still no GPS or no Cell signal is being received. Ifthereafter, the ignition is turned on and no GPS or no cell signal isbeing received, the beeper beeps once and again beeps once every15-minutes while vehicle ignition stays on. If in 10-minutes both GPS orcell signal is being received, the beeper system is turned off and thewarning count is reset.

[0190] In examples, if the ignition key is turned on and no GPS or nocell signal is being received for only 5, 10 or 12 minutes (with thethreshold set at 15 minutes), then no count is determined.

[0191] In certain circumstances, the GPS signal may fail, but the cellsignal may still be working. Accordingly, it may be desirable to send anindication of the failure of the GPS signal to the central monitoringstation to thereby alert the user as described above. If the cell signalalso failed, or if the cell signal failed by itself, in otherembodiments a separate paging device would transmit the failure or lossof the cell signal information to the central monitoring station, tothereby alert the user.

[0192] Yet another feature is directed to efficient use of a relativelysmall number of codes available to communicate with the tracking unitfrom the cellular network and central station. More particularly, atypical arrangement may provide eight basic codes and two “wildcard”codes The two wildcard codes are reserved for future or other uses. Aparticular tracking device will respond directly to any of the eightbasic codes. For example, the doors could be locked or unlocked, apresent location downloaded from the vehicle, etc.

[0193] In accordance with this feature, the tracking device may responddifferently to the same code or command depending upon the state orcondition of the tracking device. For example, if an alarm is triggeredat the vehicle, it may be desired that the tracking device continue tosend the alarm signal until confirmation is received that the centralmonitoring station has received the alarm signal. This confirmation canbe sent using the same code as may provide another function if thedevice were not indicating an alarm. Any of a number of such trackingdevice conditions may trigger a different message to be interpreted fromthe received code. For example, if any of the above Alerts A-E weretriggered, the receipt of a predetermined code, such as code eight,would confirm receipt of the alert by the central station, and thisreceipt of code eight would not cause the other response (no alarmtriggered) in the tracking device. Of course this concept can beextended to other features as will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art.

[0194] In accordance with another feature, the rate of sending thelocation or position data (or change in position data) from the vehiclemay be varied to reduce system usage and thereby reduce expenses. Moreparticularly, in one embodiment, the rate of sending may be based uponhow long the vehicle has remained stationary. This time period may beselected by the user. For example, the selected time may be in the rangeof 15 minutes to six hours If the vehicle has been stationary for theselected time period, then the rate of transmission may be reduced. Thisreduces or eliminates the need to send home position data and send allthe over 15-minute stops made that day. Otherwise, that is when thevehicle is moving, the device may send data at a faster rate. Of course,a system user would not likely be interested in quick updates,especially where the position information is not changing Conversely, ifthe vehicle is being moved, it may be desirable to receive more frequentposition updates.

[0195] Another variation of this transmission rate conservation feature,bases the rate of transmission on the vehicle position. For example, areduced rate of transmission may be selected if the vehicle is in apredetermined area where the user has a lesser interest in quicklyupdated position information. The user may also have a reduced interestin an area that can be defined outside of a predetermined distance froma reference point.

[0196] Yet another variation of the vehicle position transmission rateconservation feature is based upon the vehicle's speed, such as thevehicle's average or maximum speed, for example. Accordingly, if thevehicle is traveling above a preset speed, the rate of transmission maybe increased.

[0197] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the trackingdevice may send the alert indication a predetermined number of timeswithout receiving an acknowledgment as described above, and then waituntil the vehicle position has changed before trying again or the cellre-registers or its RSS (received signal strength) changes. Thus, poweris conserved. When the vehicle has moved to a new position, anyobstructions may no longer be present thereby increasing the likelihoodof a successful communication. In addition, the change in position maybe determined when the vehicle is sensed to be moving about apredetermined relatively small speed, such as greater than 1 mph, forexample.

[0198] In all of the embodiments and variations described herein, thetracking device may communicate with one or more other vehicle devicesvia a vehicle data communications bus. Further aspects of interfacingwith a vehicle data communications bus are described in U.S. Pat. Nos,5,719,551 and 6,011,460 assigned to the assignee of the presentinvention.

[0199] Yet another aspect relates to efficient use of available codes onthe cellular telephone control channel. In one particular example, tencodes may be available to be transmitted from the monitoring station tothe vehicle trackers. The first eight or nine codes are command codesthat will cause a specific action by the tracking device at the vehicle.The other one or two codes may be wildcard codes as mentioned above,that may set a stand-by mode for one or a group of vehicles, forexample.

[0200] It may be desirable to provide more than eight commands at thevehicle responsive to the corresponding eight available codes. Forexample, it may be desirable to set a feature on or off, or to set adifferent feature setting or threshold. In accordance with this aspectof the invention, the commands at the tracker are determined based upona series of different command codes being received within apredetermined time window.

[0201] For example, the monitoring station may send code 9 that switchesthe tracker in the car into a stand-by mode for a predetermined time andwhich causes the tracker to respond with an upstream confirmation code 7or 9 indicating receiving code 9. During the predetermined time of thestand-by mode another code follows that causes a system programmablefeature or setting to change. Note that the second code would otherwisecause a different function at the vehicle. Note that system mightoperate a function 9 if another code 1-9 is not received in thepredetermined time. The following list is exemplary for featuresresulting from second codes 1-9:

[0202] (1) Code 1—Tracker will turn off feature of upstream code causedby vehicle alert being detected.

[0203] (2) Code 2—Tracker will turn on feature of upstream code causedby vehicle alert being detected.

[0204] (3) Code 3—Tracker deactivates cell receiver from operating dueto a non-paying customer for monitoring service. That phone number canthen be allocated to another customer.

[0205] (4) Code 4—Turn on audio buzzer feature that will sound once each10 minutes. The monitoring station need only send the command toactivate the feature, as the tracker will time the period and drive thebuzzer thereafter. The monitoring station will normally not need to sendthis command because the tracker will be configured out of the box withthis feature activated to sound the buzzer every 10 minutes until thenext command is received.

[0206] (5) Code 5—Turn off the audio buzzer. This is to be sent by themonitoring station after a user has successfully activated his account.

[0207] (6) Code 6—Turn on the 80 mph speed limit reporting. This willnormally not be sent as this feature will be the default setting of thetracker.

[0208] (7) Code 7—Turn off the 80 mph speed limit reporting.

[0209] (8) Code 8—Increase speed limit 5 mph and increase the time 5minutes.

[0210] (9) Code 9—Decrease speed limit 5 mph and decrease the time 5minutes, and wait 5 minutes if another code number follows. It couldoperate this way to allow another set of codes to change more features.

[0211] In this example, in response to the tracker receiving the systemcode 1-9, the tracker sends an upstream code 7 to acknowledge receipt ofthe system code 1-9. Upon receipt of code 9 the tracker waits up to 5minutes to determine if another system code is received. If no code isreceived, then the tracker performs the code 9 operation. Of course, inother embodiments other features or settings can be selected.

[0212] In general, it may be preferred that the first code sent in aseries of two codes, for example, be a code that causes only a minorfunction to be performed at the vehicle. This so because if the secondcode is sent from the monitoring station, but not received at thetracker, only a minor function is performed. For example, the first codemay switch between armed and disarmed modes. This is in contrast tousing a remote engine starting code or engine shutdown code as the firstcode. The vehicle may be moving or positioned in a marginal receptionarea, and the second command may not be received by the tracker withinthe predetermined time window. As will be appreciated by those skilledin the art, this concept of multiple digit codes, can be extended beyondtwo digits to three or more.

[0213] To further conserve cellular transmissions and as describedabove, the tracker may be set to record a position based upon adetermined event. Only this recorded position information may bedownloaded either by user request or at set times. It is desired thatsuch events be relatively few, but that the information still be helpfulto the user.

[0214] For example, an event for recording of position may be determinedbased upon the vehicle being stopped for greater than a first time andless than a second time. For example, the first time may be 15 minutesand the second time may be 6 hours. Determination of the vehicle beingstopped can be made based upon one or both of the GPS position or thevehicle ignition being turned off. The second time prevents therecording of position information when the vehicle is stopped at theowner's home during the evening, for example. Accordingly, the importantinformation of the vehicle stops being made is recorded and madeavailable to the user, while system communications resources areconserved.

[0215] In another example, if the mode is selected to send the vehicleslocation every 10 min and the vehicle is in the same location forgreater than a set time, then no more vehicle locations are sent untilthe vehicle location has changed to start the every 10 min reportingagain.

[0216] Other features relating to vehicle control systems are disclosedin copending patent applications entitled VEHICLE TRACKER INCLUDINGSTATIONARY TIME DETERMINATION AND ASSOCIATED METHODS, attorney workdocket number 58100; VEHICLE TRACKER CONSERVING CODES AND RELATEDMETHODS, attorney work docket number 58101; VEHICLE TRACKER WITH POWERSAVING FEATURES AND RELATED METHODS, attorney work docket number 58102;VEHICLE TRACKER COOPERATING WITH A STARTER INTERRUPT AND RELATEDMETHODS, attorney work docket number 58103; VEHICLE TRACKER WITH USERNOTIFICATIONS AND ASSOCIATED METHODS, attorney work docket number 58104;VEHICLE TRACKER WITH USER REGISTRATION REMINDER AND RELATED METHODS,attorney work docket number 58105; VEHICLE TRACKER INCLUDINGINPUT/OUTPUT FEATURES AND RELATED METHODS, attorney work docket number58106; and VEHICLE TRACKER WITH TEST FEATURES AND RELATED METHODS,attorney work docket number 58107, the entire disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

[0217] Many modifications and other embodiments of the invention willcome to the mind of one skilled in the art having the benefit of theteachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associateddrawings. Accordingly, it is understood that the invention is not to belimited to the embodiments disclosed, and that other modifications andembodiments are intended to be included within the spirit and scope ofthe appended claims.

That which is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle tracking system comprising: amonitoring station; a vehicle tracking unit for a vehicle of a typecomprising an engine starter interrupt device, said vehicle trackingunit comprising a vehicle position determining device, a wirelesscommunications device, and a controller; said controller switchingbetween an armed mode and a disarmed mode based upon operation of theengine starter interrupt device, said controller when in the armed modefor cooperating with said wireless communications device to send analert message to said monitoring station and including vehicle positioninformation; said controller also selectively operating the enginestarter interrupt device.
 2. A vehicle tracking system according toclaim 1 wherein said controller comprises a combination input and outputterminal for connection to the engine starter interrupt device.
 3. Avehicle tracking system according to claim 1 wherein said controllerswitches to the armed mode when in the disarmed mode and based upon theengine starter interrupt device being operated to disable enginestarting, and to switch said controller to the disarmed mode based uponthe engine starter interrupt device being operated to enable enginestarting.
 4. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 1 wherein saidcontroller selectively operates the engine starter interrupt devicebased upon a command message from said monitoring station.
 5. A vehicletracking system according to claim 1 wherein the vehicle furthercomprises an ignition switch; and wherein said controller selectivelyoperates the engine starter interrupt device based upon the ignitionswitch.
 6. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 1 wherein saidvehicle position determining device comprises a Global PositioningSystem (GPS) device.
 7. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 1wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellulartelephone communications device.
 8. A vehicle tracking system accordingto claim 7 wherein said cellular telephone communications devicecommunicates over a cellular control channel.
 9. A vehicle trackingsystem according to claim 1 wherein said monitoring station comprises auser interface.
 10. A vehicle tracking system according to claim 9wherein said user interface comprises an Internet interface.
 11. Avehicle tracking system according to claim 9 wherein said user interfacecomprises a telephone network interface.
 12. A vehicle tracking unit forcommunicating with a monitoring station and for use in a vehicle of atype comprising an engine starter interrupt device, the vehicle trackingunit comprising: a vehicle position determining device; a wirelesscommunications device; and a controller switching between an armed modeand a disarmed mode based upon operation of the engine starter interruptdevice, said controller when in the armed mode for cooperating with saidwireless communications device to send an alert message to themonitoring station; said controller also selectively operating theengine starter interrupt device.
 13. A vehicle tracking unit accordingto claim 12 wherein said controller comprises a combination input andoutput terminal for connection to the engine starter interrupt device.14. A vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein saidcontroller switches to the armed mode when in the disarmed mode andbased up on the engine starter interrupt device being operated todisable engine starting, and to switch said controller to the disarmedmode based upon the engine starter interrupt device being operated toenable engine starting.
 15. A vehicle tracking unit according to claim12 wherein said controller selectively operates the engine starterinterrupt device based upon a command message from said monitoringstation.
 16. A vehicle tracking unit according to claim 12 wherein thevehicle further comprises an ignition switch; and wherein saidcontroller selectively operates the engine starter interrupt devicebased upon the ignition switch.
 17. A vehicle tracking unit according toclaim 12 wherein said vehicle position determining device comprises aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) device.
 18. A vehicle tracking unitaccording to claim 12 wherein said wireless communications devicecomprises a cellular telephone communications device.
 19. A vehicletracking unit according to claim 18 wherein said cellular telephonecommunications device communicates over a cellular control channel. 20.A method for operating a vehicle tracking unit in a vehicle of a typecomprising an engine starter interrupt device, the vehicle tracking unitcomprising a vehicle position determining device, a wirelesscommunications device, and a controller connected to the engine starterinterrupt device, the method comprising: switching the controllerbetween an armed mode and a disarmed mode based upon operation of theengine starter interrupt device, the controller when in the armed modefor cooperating with the wireless communications device to send an alertmessage to a monitoring station; using the controller to alsoselectively operate the engine starter interrupt device.
 21. A methodaccording to claim 20 wherein the controller comprises a combinationinput and output terminal; and further comprising connecting thecombination input and output terminal to the engine starter interruptdevice.
 22. A method according to claim 20 wherein switching comprisesswitching the controller to the armed mode when in the disarmed mode andbased upon the engine starter interrupt device being operated to disableengine starting, and switching the controller to the disarmed mode basedupon the engine starter interrupt device being operated to enable enginestarting.
 23. A method according to claim 20 wherein using thecontroller to selectively operate the engine starter interrupt device isbased upon receiving a command message from the monitoring station. 24.A method according to claim 20 wherein the vehicle further comprises anignition switch; and wherein using the controller to selectively operatethe engine starter interrupt device is based upon a position of theignition switch.
 25. A method according to claim 20 wherein the vehicleposition determining device comprises a Global Positioning System (GPS)device.
 26. A method according to claim 20 wherein the wirelesscommunications device comprises a cellular telephone communicationsdevice.
 27. A method according to claim 26 wherein the cellulartelephone communications device communicates over a cellular controlchannel.